Fire at Riverchase apartment complex leaves up to 15 people seeking shelter

700 Riverchase fire 12-8-17 (1)

Hoover firefighters respond to a fire in the 900 building of the 700 Riverchase apartment complex in Hoover, Alabama, on Friday, Dec. 8, 2017.

A fire at a Riverchase apartment complex Friday night could leave as many as 15 people looking for a place to stay for the next couple of days, a Hoover fire official said.

The fire was reported about 5:15 p.m. in the 900 building of the 700 Riverchase apartments on Garden Woods Drive, Hoover Fire Department spokesman Rusty Lowe said.

It apparently started in the area around a chimney in a second-story apartment and spread into the attic of the building, Lowe said. About 20 Hoover firefighters in three engines, a ladder truck, rescue unit and other vehicles responded to the scene and had the fire extinguished in about 25 minutes, he said.

The fire marshal is still investigating the cause of the fire, Lowe said. There were no injuries reported. The apartment where the fire started has major damage, and the apartments next door and below had minor damage, he said.

However, firefighters had to shut off electricity to all eight apartments in the building and were not yet sure to which units, if any, they could restore power anytime soon, Lowe said. So residents in all eight apartments may need to find shelter elsewhere, he said.